UNICEF Visits Kaduna Health Sector, Pledges Increased Support

As a part of efforts to deepen the long-time existing relationship with the State, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has embarked on a two-day tour to assess the quality of health services rendered to reproductive-age women and children in Kaduna State.

Chief of Health and HIV/AIDS, UNICEF, Mr. Eduardo Calades told newsmen during the tour that Kaduna being one of the 14 UNICEF’s priority States in Nigeria has shown some progress in its healthcare service delivery hence, the need for more support to do better.

To him, “We are here from regional and national levels to assess the situation in Kaduna State health sector. We are specifically interested to see how services are being delivered in immunization, maternal and child health, and as well as birth registration among others.

“What we have seen showed that there is a lot of progress and from UNICEF, we are going to be supporting the state moving towards a strong primary healthcare system. Kaduna is one of our 14 priority states and we see that we can make a lot of difference here.

“We have selected 10 LGAs where we are going to do convergence of investment including solar invention facilities, and support to human resources. We hope to achieve this by working closely with the State government.”

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At the Ministry of Health where the team assessed the mobile laboratory trucks procured by the Kaduna State Government and designed to take health care services to rural communities, Deputy Director, of Public Health in the Ministry, Doctor Jeremiah Daikwo said, the five multipurpose mobile trucks will be used for the diagnosis of rural dwellers when they become operational.

“The mobile trucks procured by the State government for community use. The trucks are sight-scene on their own which means when you enter any community with one of them, people will see it and will want to know what it is all about which alone attracts people to test.

“When they come we screen them. The trucks will be used to do tuberculosis test, and household COVID-19 test. We also have other sections that can be used for malaria tests, hepatitis B and C, and the rest of them. We hope from this day, we hope communities will be benefiting from the services these trucks will be rendering”, he said.

Earlier, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Adamu Mohammed Mansur thanked UNICEF for constantly investing in the health sector and WASH in the State.

“We are so happy to receive this team and we appreciate this partnership that has been there all along. Again, I am so happy that UNICEF has gladly come to see Kaduna people with the value addition we always receive from UNICEF”.

The facilities that were visited during the assessment tour includes the  Primary Health Care, Angwan Rimi, Kaduna, Ministry of Health, Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, and the Kaduna State Drugs and Medical Supplies Management Agency.